Strive Notes

Tomorrow, the 8th December, the first ever Manx satellite will be launched into outer space. This is a major milestone for the Isle of Man’s space industry, and a boost to the island’s reputation in the international telecommunications industry, as well.

A year ago SES Global, one of the world’s biggest satellite operators, announced it was moving its leasing operations to the Isle of Man and that it had initiated five satellite programmes, an investment of more than £6.5 m in capital expenditure for the Island.

This first Manx satellite is the AMC-18, an all C-band satellite, which will cover all 50 US states, the Caribbean and Mexico.

The Isle of Man government is in the process of filing with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) through the UK’s OfCom, so that the island may offer satellite operators select orbital positions.

So the space age has arrived in the Isle of Man, just in time for Christmas. You can watch the launch live tomorrow evening at 22:08 pm by clicking here.

Filed under: public relations